How to make an Observation with the iNaturalist iPhone App

There are multiple ways to make an observation with the iNaturalist iPhone app: you can use the  iNaturalist AI camera, the iNaturalist standard camera, import photos, and record sounds! 

Below are instructions for each method. All methods are accessible in both Standard and Advanced Modes. In Standard Mode, press and hold the AI Camera button to access other options.

If you have not already given permission for iNaturalist to access your camera, photo gallery, microphone, and location, you may be prompted to do so during this process. Learn more about iNaturalist Next permissions.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Make an Observation with the AI Camera
• Make an Observation with the Standard Camera
• Record an Audio Observation
• Import Photos into iNaturalist

Make an Observation with the AI Camera

The iNaturalist AI camera will immediately start showing you identification suggestions as you move your camera over an organism, looking for visually similar species matches. These suggestions will appear whether or not you have an internet connection. 

1. Tap on the AI Camera button at the bottom of the screen to open the iNaturalist AI Camera, or in Advanced Mode tap on the + sign and select the AI Camera.
   
   
   
2. It may take a few seconds for the AI Camera to load.
   
   
3. Point the AI Camera at an organism and it will begin suggesting identifications to you. Tap the green button at the bottom to take a picture when you think it has identified the organism. Note that not every organism will be identifiable to the species level.
   
   
   
4. If you have an internet connection, iNaturalist will try to get a more accurate identification (which may not match what the camera originally displayed). In Standard Mode it will then show you a Match Screen that includes your photo, photos of the suggested species, and observations of that species near you. In Advanced Mode, it will take you to your screen of preference: Match Screen, ID Suggestions, or Edit Observation.
   
   
5. From the Match Screen, tap Save if you think the main suggestion is correct, or choose from other suggestions then tap Save. The observation will be saved in the app but will not be uploaded
   
   
6. Choose to upload the observation if you like. You can also tap on the observation, then tap its pencil icon to edit it before uploading. On the Observation Edit page you can update its location privacy, mark it as not wild, edit its identification, and more. See this help page for more information.
   
   
7. Check the Activity section later to see if anyone has identified or commented on your observation!
   
   

Make an Observation with the Standard Camera

It's often necessary or beneficial to take multiple photos of an organism to capture important features for identification. For example, both the flowers and leaves of a plant or the top and underside of a mushroom. The Standard Camera allows you to take up to 20 photos before saving them as a single observation. 

1. Press and hold the AI camera button or tap on the large + button at the bottom of the screen and choose the camera option.
   
   
2. Take a photo of the subject.
   
   
3. Your photo will appear at the top of the screen. Take more photos of the subject if you like, and each new photo will appear at the top of the screen. All photos will be part of one observation, so just photograph one organism. In this example, two photos of a shell have been taken: one of the top, and one of the underside.
   
   
   
4. When you are finished taking photos of the organism, tap on the green checkmark to save the set of photos as an observation.
   
   
5. If you are in Standard Mode you'll see the normal Match Screen. iNaturalist will only display the first photo you took, but all photos are saved in the observation. In Advanced Mode, tapping the green checkmark will take you to your screen of preference: Match Screen, ID Suggestions, or Edit Observation.
   

Record an Audio Observation

Sometimes it's not possible to get a photograph of your subject, or you may just want to record a song or call that it made. You can make an observation using your device's microphone in those cases.

1. Press and hold the AI camera button or tap on the large + button at the bottom of the screen and choose the microphone option.
   
   
2. Tap the red Record button to start recording sounds. Point your device's microphone toward the sound and try to protect it from the wind if possible.
   
   
3. Tap the red Stop button to stop recording. You will be given the option to play the sound, save the sound as an observation, or discard the sound and record another one.
   
   
4. After you tap the green checkmark you will be taken to the Edit Observation screen, as iNaturalist currently cannot provide identification suggestions for sounds. We recommend you tap on Add an ID and choose an identification of some kind, even if it is at the level of something like Birds, Mammals, or Amphibians. That will help others find your observation and to identify it.
   
   
   
5. Save or upload the observation.

Import Photos into iNaturalist

You can import up to 20 photos at time from your device's Photos app into iNaturalist and group multiple photos of one organism into a single observation. 

1.  Long press  the AI camera button or tap on the large + button at the bottom of the screen and choose the photo gallery option.
   
   
2. Select up to 20 photos from your gallery to be imported into iNaturalist and tap "Add". It's OK if the photos document different organisms.
   
   
   
3. Next is the Group Photos page. At the top you'll see how many photos are in this batch and how many observations will be made from them. By default, each photo is treated as a single observation, so if you took more than one photo of an individual organism those will need to be combined into a single observation.
   
   You can do that by selecting photos you want to combine. For example, the first two photos here show two sides of the same snail and should be combined.
   
   
   
4. Once you tap on one or more observations, you will now see this menu at the bottom of the screen. From left to right, the icons mean:
   
   
   1. Combine the selected photos into one observation.
   2. Split combined photos apart (not available in this situation)
   3. Remove selected photos from the import batch
      
      
      
5. If you choose to combine selected photos, you'll see a stack icon on the Group Photos screen, and the number of observations being made from this batch of photos will decrease, because multiple photos are now used for one observation. You can combine up to 20 photos to make one observation, but remember to only do so if they depict the same organism from the same encounter.
   
   
6. Continue combining photos if necessary. When you're finished here, tap on on the green "Import X Observations" button. In this case, 7 observations will be made from the 9 photos that were imported.
   
   
   
7. Now you can add an identification to and edit each of the observations in the batch, using the Edit Observation screen. Note that the app shows you how many observations are in the current batch, and which of those observations you are currently editing. Once you press Save or Upload Now, the observation will be removed from the batch and you will be shown the next unsaved observation in the batch.